At the dinner table, Zhou Quan also made a big announcement: “I’m leaving too.”
“Huh?” Everyone was surprised.
Zhou Quan smiled and said, “I didn’t get in this year. It’ll probably be even harder next year. Most of the people taking the exam next year will be current students fresh out of high school. I can’t compete with them.”
She continued, “But I feel the same way as Xiangdong. I can’t stay in this place forever. So even if I have to go back to the city and live as a vagrant, I’m going back.”
Hearing this, everyone could understand.
Though life back in the city would come with many difficulties—without a job, there would be no salary, no food ration coupons, not even a meal to be had.
But the city had paved roads, public restrooms, running water, electricity… it was still better than the countryside.
Qi Xiangdong clinked his glass with Zhou Quan’s. “I support you!”
Zhong Sinian didn’t say anything, but he raised his glass as well.
Seeing this, Chen Qiaoyu and Qingyang also picked up their bowls of soup to go through the motions.
None of them knew what Zhou Quan would face after returning to the city, but as friends, all they could offer was their blessing.
After Qi Xiangdong left, the educated youth courtyard became even more desolate.
Following that big feast, they went back to their usual fare of coarse cornbread and mixed grains.
Fortunately, after the roast duck and the farewell feast, the siblings had some oil and fat in their bellies, which boosted their spirits a bit.
Zhou Quan spent her days rushing around and managed to obtain a medical certificate for “nephritis,” which successfully got her approval to return to the city.
The very next day after getting the certificate, Zhou Quan set off. “I’m afraid that delays will cause problems, so I won’t bother with any formal goodbyes. Besides, almost everyone’s already gone.”
She gave her bedding and kitchen utensils to Chen Qiaoyu. “Don’t turn your nose up at them. They’re old and have seen some years, but I feel like you and Qingyang still need them.”
How could Chen Qiaoyu possibly turn them down? “Qingyang is sleeping on the bedding that Educated Youth Qi left behind right now. We’re more grateful than anything.”
Zhou Quan smiled at Chen Qiaoyu. “Qiaoyu, you have such a good attitude. Your life will definitely get better and better.”
Even though Zhou Quan said she didn’t want a farewell feast, Chen Qiaoyu still got up early to boil her a few eggs to eat on the road.
Zhong Sinian and Chen Qingyang walked Zhou Quan to town to catch her bus.
Now, the only people left in the educated youth courtyard were Chen Qiaoyu, her brother, and the quiet Zhong Sinian. Chen Qiaoyu couldn’t help but feel a small sense of relief.
The old house had its secrets, so the fewer people around, the better.
Although Zhong Sinian wasn’t the easiest person to get along with, he didn’t seem like a gossip.
With Qi Xiangdong and Zhou Quan constantly coming and going lately, and various villagers stopping by to see them off and wish them well, Chen Qiaoyu hadn’t been able to go to the “modern world.”
After several straight days of working in the fields, even Chen Qiaoyu’s porcelain-white skin had tanned a shade darker.
The day after Zhou Quan left, Yingzi brought over another basket of vegetables, along with a bowl of dried radish strips. “I dried these myself. I steamed them first, then dried them. They have a special flavor. Try some.”
Chen Qiaoyu was happy to try something new and took the opportunity to invite Yingzi to go foraging for wild vegetables with her.
Yingzi came from a large family. As the youngest, she didn’t have many chores, so she agreed as soon as Chen Qiaoyu suggested it.
“But the wild vegetables up on the mountain are probably too tough and old by now. Let’s go to the river instead. We can check on my brother while we’re there.”
Yao Dayong was responsible for raising the entire production team’s ducks—over a thousand of them—and since they couldn’t be herded back, he usually lived in a thatched shack by the river.
It was cool there, too. Other than the mosquitoes, it wasn’t a bad place.
Chen Qiaoyu told Qingyang where she was going and headed to the river with Yingzi, baskets in hand.
In July and August, the riverbank was overgrown with weeds. Chen Qiaoyu rolled up her pants cuffs and carefully searched among the wild plants for edible greens.
At this time of year, the only thing left was wild amaranth. She picked what she could and managed to gather a small handful.
Yingzi was more there to have fun. She picked half-heartedly, chatting with Chen Qiaoyu as she went. “The educated youths in the village are almost all gone, aren’t they? When is Educated Youth Zhong going to move out?”
Chen Qiaoyu was focused on picking vegetables and didn’t quite catch that. “Who?”
“Educated Youth Zhong,” Yingzi said, coming over to squat beside Chen Qiaoyu and pick together. “He should be leaving too, right? None of the unmarried ones have stayed.”
Chen Qiaoyu thought back to how Zhong Sinian had been acting. She hadn’t noticed any signs that he was planning to leave.
But then again, Zhou Quan’s decision to leave had also come very suddenly.
City people had their connections. Chen Qiaoyu said, “I don’t know. He can leave whenever he wants.”
She certainly couldn’t kick him out.
Yingzi stared at Chen Qiaoyu’s face for a moment but couldn’t tell if she had any feelings toward Zhong Sinian.
Unable to probe Chen Qiaoyu’s thoughts on Yao Dayong’s behalf, Yingzi felt a bit dejected. Still, she diligently helped Chen Qiaoyu pick half a basket of wild vegetables.
The two looked up and saw Yao Dayong’s duck-keeping shack just ahead.
Yingzi happily pulled Chen Qiaoyu along as they ran over. “Brother!”
Yao Dayong wasn’t inside. He was standing on a small raised dam in the middle of the river. Seeing Yingzi and Chen Qiaoyu approaching, he quickly raised a hand to stop them. “Don’t come any closer. The river’s rising. Watch out, or you’ll fall in.”
The two quickly stopped and waited on the bank for Yao Dayong to come over.
Yao Dayong was skilled from years of practice. The dam was four or five meters from the shore. He planted his bamboo pole into the water, used it to propel himself, and swung over effortlessly.
Yingzi and Chen Qiaoyu clapped in admiration. “Brother, that’s amazing!”
Seeing the look of surprised delight on Chen Qiaoyu’s face, Yao Dayong felt secretly pleased.
“What are you two doing here?” Yao Dayong asked as he herded the ducks into a separate low-lying area by the river.
“We came to pick wild vegetables,” Yingzi said, chasing the ducks and making them quack noisily.
Yingzi spoke casually, but Yao Dayong took it to heart. “Qiaoyu, are you out of food? I’ll bring you some later.”
Chen Qiaoyu quickly explained, “No, not at all. Second Aunt and Yingzi just brought over a whole basket of vegetables today. It’s… it’s for a relative on my uncle’s side. They just happen to have a taste for wild greens.”
Seeing no sign of reluctance on Chen Qiaoyu’s face, Yao Dayong finally said, “Next time, don’t come out here yourself. There are too many snakes in the summer. If you want wild vegetables, just say the word, and I’ll pick them for you.”
Chen Qiaoyu quickly thanked him. “I don’t need much. Just enough for a taste of something fresh.”
Yao Dayong glanced around. Other than Yingzi playing with the ducks off to the side, there was no one else by the river. He lowered his voice and said to Chen Qiaoyu, “I’ll give you some duck eggs later.”
“Oh no, I can’t take that,” Chen Qiaoyu said, startled. “The ducks and the eggs belong to the production team. Dayong, don’t do anything reckless.”
Getting caught would be serious trouble.
Just as Yao Dayong was about to explain, Yingzi—sharp-eared as always and afraid Chen Qiaoyu might misunderstand—ran over and said, “Qiaoyu, my brother is talking about wild duck eggs, not the team’s.”
The thing about ducks is that they like to stay in groups. The production team originally had nearly a thousand ducks. But over time, as they were let out to graze, someone counted and realized there were a few extra.
Yao Dayong explained, “Wild ducks show up in the reed marshes every so often. Some get separated from their flocks and mix in with ours. Same with the eggs. We usually hand in roughly the right number, but there are always a few extra.”
Yao Dayong and Yingzi’s father was the production team’s Party branch secretary, which was how he’d gotten this plum assignment. Naturally, no one was going to quibble over an egg or two here or there.
Besides, Yao Dayong was meticulous in his work. He took good care of the ducks, they rarely got sick, and he even turned in more ducks than required. No one in the village had anything but respect for him.
Chen Qiaoyu understood, but she still refused. “Thank you, Dayong, but Qingyang and I aren’t short on food right now. My uncle and aunt brought over a lot of grain recently, plus some eggs.”
Still, Yao Dayong’s words gave Chen Qiaoyu an idea. She thought for a moment and then asked, “Dayong, with this many ducks, you must get several hundred eggs a day, right? Do you sell them all to the supply and marketing cooperative?”
Yao Dayong paused. He didn’t want to lie to Chen Qiaoyu. “Not exactly. The cooperative has a fixed daily quota. We can’t give them less, but they won’t take more than that either.”
He continued, “We take the extra eggs to the state-run restaurant. Sometimes we trade them with factories in town for things. The village has traded for fertilizer, bricks, and even a coil of wire—the kind we used on the threshing ground.”
Seeing that Chen Qiaoyu was interested, Yao Dayong went on, “Starting last year, some private individuals have also wanted to buy duck eggs from us. But Jinbao was afraid it might cause trouble, so he didn’t allow it. He only let us trade them at the market.”
Just as I thought, Chen Qiaoyu said to herself. That night at Qi Xiangdong’s farewell feast, Zhou Quan had mentioned that things were already loosening up quite a bit in the cities.
Many of her former classmates, after returning to the city, were pulling carts, selling vegetables, and even setting up stalls on the street to cut hair.
Qi Xiangdong had also said, “Since they’re allowing educated youths to return to the cities, they’ll have to give us a way to make a living. I expect policies will come out within a year or two.”
At the time, Chen Qiaoyu had thought to herself: indeed, the atmosphere in the “modern world” was noticeably more open.
Now, having confirmation from Yao Dayong, Chen Qiaoyu’s spirits lifted even more.
She could afford to take bigger strides now!